Sustainable Habitats

SUSTAINABLE HABITATSArchitecture Programme for Professionals

29 April - 2 May 2015

Auroville Green Practices Sustainable Habitats is a workshop aimed at deepening the understanding of a sustainably integrated approach to planning, designing and building of human habitats. A series of interactive workshop sessions, presentations and site visits based on the broad themes of planning and design, green building material, energy management, integrated water management, waste manage-ment and landscaping will be offered. It is a comprehensive learning program for professionals and young architects with a focus on integrated sustainable solutions for human habitats. Participants will get a rich and diverse exposure to various design approaches from all over the world.

SUSTAINABLE HABITATS15-18 October 2014

www.agpworkshops.com

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN AND EVALUATION

“Technology based sustainability” as solutions for Architectural design encompasses various visual aspects like balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis and unity. And it also includes environmental as-pects like context, climate and sustainability. Unlike the fine arts, architecture also has a scientific and a socioeconomic component , so it has to incorporate issues like equity, economy, utility and operational systems management.But architectural design is also much more than the sum of it is parts for it is a team exercise between the designer, the user and the environment within which is it embedded. So, when it comes to the principles of architectural design, one has has no crutches of postulates and formulas to shore up uncertainty. Rather in a globalizing world, the architect is forever challenged to widen his /her own preferences and perception, as there are no unique solution for any given design problem as the diversity of cultures and contexts allows for infinite aesthetic potentials.

Facilitator: Suhasini Ayer-Guigan has over 20 years of experience in sustainable design, green building practices and

planning. She is the founder and principal architect of the Auroville Design Consultants. She is co-recipient of the Hassan Fathy Award for ‘Architecture for the Poor’ in 1992 and recipient of the Design Share Award for

educational buildings in 2003 and 2005.



PARTICIPATORY DESIGNThis session is meant as an introduction to participatory planning and design. The first half will showcase some examples of such experiments within Auroville. In the second half we will have an experiential session of one such model - co-creating cafe. The emphasis will be on creating and holding a space that allows to learn from each person’s inner potential by respecting each other’s viewpoints and by deep listening. This leads to a process of co-cre-ation where differing viewpoints and expertise get woven together into a fabric that is based on the highest common denominator of all participants.

Facilitator: Mona graduated from the School of Architecture, CEPT, Ahmedabad and did her masters in

Germany on Appropriate Technology at Flensburg University. She is practicing in Auroville since 1990. Her Studio offers a personalised approach to holistic solutions for designing and build-ing - stressing on research in the fields of Baubiology ( Building Biology) and activating the five senses through architecture, interiors and landscaping while combining beauty and functional-

ity. Sustainability for her is a way of life and not an add-on. She has also been a core group member of the Dreamcatchers, a forum for envisioning and participatory city planning.



CLIMATOLOGY

“Technology based sustainability” as solutions for the issues and problems that arise out of the fossil fuel use has serious limitation especially for developing countries like India with its fast growing population and depleted ecological services. “Climatology” is a “design based sustainability” that works within the natural systems of the place. From watershed and contour-based site planning to intelligent envelope design for climatic comfort saving on the operational energy inputs. It is also a system of adaptive design with active participation from the end user including life style changes to work towards reducing the negative impact of urban development on nature.

Facilitator: Suhasini Ayer-Guigan has over 20 years of experience in sustainable design, green building prac-tices and planning. She is the founder and principal architect of the Auroville Design Consultants. She is co-recipient of the Hassan Fathy Award for ‘Architecture for the Poor’ in 1992 and recipi-

ent of the Design Share Award for educational buildings in 2003 and 2005.



EARTHEN ARCHITECTUREThe course contains an introduction session about Earth Architecture and the diver-sity and universality of its global application. Participants will learn about particular earth techniques and building with arches, vaults and domes and will get hands on experience in the production of Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB).

Facilitator: Satprem Maini founded the Auroville Earth Institute in 1989 and has been develop-ing, consulting, teaching and promoting earthen building technologies and earthen architecture in several countries besides India. An internationally acknowledged ex-pert, he has been the representative for Asia of the UNESCO Chair “Earthen Archi-

tecture, Constructive Cultures and Sustainable Development” since 2000, he is also a consultant for several United Nations programs and a member of the International

Centre of Earth Construction and Indian Society of Earthquake Technology (ISET). He studied at School of Architecture of Lyon (France)and holds a masters degree in

Earthen Architecture from the School of Architecture, Grenoble (France).



LOCAL BUILDING MATERIALS (1)

From the very beginning, Auroville architecture has been a rich field of experimentation. Some archi-tects are more interested in form but others are concerned that the materials that they use should be as environmentally sensitive and sustainable as possible. To this end, indigenous materials and designs have been adopted and adapted and other promising construction technologies, like re-inforced earth blocks and ferrocement, have been developed or refined. Today, Auroville presents a remarkable variety of styles, from simple thatch and mud houses to apartment complexes and public buildings.

Facilitator: Mona graduated from the School of Architecture, CEPT, Ahmedabad and did her masters in Germany on

Appropriate Technology at Flensburg University. She is practicing in Auroville since 1990. Her Studio offers a personalised approach to holistic solutions for designing and building - stressing on research in the fields of Baubiology ( Building Biology) and activating the five senses through architecture, interiors and landscaping

while combining beauty and functionality. Sustainability for her is a way of life and not an add-on. She has also been a core group member of the Dreamcatchers, a forum for envisioning and participatory city plan-

ning. She is currently a member of L’Avenir d’ Auroville, Auroville’s Town Planning and Development Group.



LOCAL BUILDING MATIERIALS This session introduces a method in which modern and traditional materials can be used in contemperorary structures. Participants will be introduced to conceptual features be-hind the design and get to know about various alternative building materials used .

Facilitator:EartHauz Architecture & Design was established in 2004 by Manu Gopalan. It is located at

the International House in Auroville. The current focus of the firm is to develop Intermedi-ate Technology in construction using 100% natural & recycled materials, participatory design

and self-help construction. EartHauz is committed to the conception and construction of built environment that is essentially ecological, site specific, climatically responsive and respecting

vernacular traditions.



WASTE MANAGEMENT

Whether it is toxic effluent from factories flowing into neighbouring rivers, tons of trash dumped il-legally and then igniting to release toxic fumes, or human waste deposited along the streets of cities or towns – waste is a daunting challenge facing today’s India. Fortunately there is hope, springing up like wildflowers in small instances throughout the country.Auroville’s efforts in waste management, including its prevention and treatment, contribute in part to these solutions.

Facilitator: Lucas is a doctor trained in medicine at the University of Mainz, Germany. He has over fourteen years ex-perience in the fields of public hygiene with focus on public health related to environment. He coordinated

a Unicef program addressing water management in Tamil Nadu schools and has produced a number of educational materials about sanitation and water management. He founded AuroAnnam, a business unit of Auroville in 2000 to promote organic farming and ecological sanitation. He is also the founder of Eco-Pro, a

business unit specializing in EM (Effective Microorga



ECOLOGICAL SANITATIONEcological sanitation recognizes human excreta and water from households not as a waste but as resources that can be recovered, treated where necessary, and safely used again. It tries to minimize the reliance on external inputs like water while simultaneously reducing the output of waste from the system. Composting and dry toilets are part of a wider ecological sanitation effort. Urine diversion toilets prevent urine and faeces from getting mixed. These toilets make it possible to manage urine, faeces or excreta with little or no water and to keep potentially infectious waste products out of ground and surface waters. The demand for wastewater treatment is reduced or eliminated. The urine and composted solid waste from dry compost toilets can be returned to soils to restore fertility.

Facilitator: Lucas is a doctor trained in medicine at the University of Mainz, Germany. He has over fourteen years experience in the fields of public hygiene with focus on public health related to environment. He coor-dinated a Unicef program addressing water management in Tamil Nadu schools and has produced a

number of educational materials about sanitation and water management. He founded AuroAnnam, a business unit of Auroville in 2000 to promote organic farming and ecological sanitation. He is also the

founder of Eco-Pro, a business unit specializing in EM (Effective Microorganisms) technology.



DECENTRALISED SOLAR ENERGY

This is a presentation on Decentralised Solar PV technology, grid connected and off-grid connected. Participants will be exposed to technological and practical knowledge details of installation pro-cesses and applications.

Facilitator: SunlitFuture is based in Auroville to pursue and facilitate research on alternative energy technologies and

products.Inspired by the goal of a sustainable world, they dedicate themselves to providing customized and innovative renewable energy solutions to meet a variety of domestic, industrial and institutional requirements for rural and urban India. They devote a lot of energy and attention to developing solutions and services for

remote areas of the subcontinent.



SUSTAINABLE URBAN ENERGYThis workshop addresses sustainable urban energy solutions from a system’s perspective, as a three-step process - energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Presenting a global balance sheet on energy consumption Toine asks whether we can meet the consumption of today and the future with renewable energy. The only way out would be a need for radical decrease in consumption and a huge investment into renewable energy installations on a global scale.

Facilitator: Toine is a co-founder of Auroville Consulting and is involved in Auroville township infrastructure devel-opment, energy planning and business management consultancy services. Previously, he held senior

management and corporate leadership positions in the global wind energy sector from 1996-2009 and has extensive experience in international business.



GRID CONNECTED SOLAR SYSTEM

This site visit to the Illaingarkal School will show the participants a pilot project of grid-connected solar PV system.

Facilitator: SunlitFuture is based in Auroville to pursue and facilitate research on alternative energy technologies and

products. Inspired by the goal of a sustainable world, they dedicate themselves to providing customized and innovative renewable energy solutions to meet a variety of domestic, industrial and institutional requirements for rural and urban India. They devote a lot of energy and attention to developing solutions and services for

remote areas of the subcontinent.



VISITORS’ CENTREThe core function of the Visitors’ Centre is to inform the visitors about the purpose of Auroville, its spiritual and material aim with exhibitions and audio-visuals. The complex is also a demon-stration centre for sustainable technologies such as appropriate building material and technolo-gies, watershed management and landscaping with indigenous plants, renewable energies, waste water recycling techniques etc.

Facilitator: Suhasini Ayer-Guigan has over 20 years of experience in sustainable design, green building practices and planning. She is the founder and principal architect of the Auroville Design Consultants. She is co-recipient of the Hassan Fathy Award for ‘Architecture for the Poor’ in 1992 and recipient of the Design

Share Award for educational buildings in 2003 and 2005.



EMBODIED ENERGY

Embodied energy is an accounting method which aims to find the sum total of the energy neces-sary for an entire building life-cycle. The energy involved in the reclamation, the recycling, and the manufacturing processes of building materials can all be precisely calculated. In fact, the embodied energy of the building materials can serve well as a metric to reflect the sustainability of the materi-als. This workshop will specifically focus and earth as building material and compare it in terms of embodied energy to conventional building materials.

Facilitator: Satprem Maini founded the Auroville Earth Institute in 1989 and has been developing, consulting, teaching

and promoting earthen building technologies and earthen architecture in several countries besides India. An internationally acknowledged expert, he has been the representative for Asia of the UNESCO Chair “Earthen

Architecture, Constructive Cultures and Sustainable Development” since 2000, he is also a consultant for several United Nations programs and a member of the International Centre of Earth Construction and Indian

Society of Earthquake Technology (ISET). He studied at School of Architecture of Lyon (France)and holds a masters degree in Earthen Architecture from the School of Architecture, Grenoble (France).



SURFACE WATER CONTROL AND RAINThe notion of water in its tangible forms – rivers, lakes, coastlines – as a primary structuring element of urban patterns has been a well-established one. This workshop investigates the role of water derived from ecologically designed sensitivity, as the primary structure, governing the urban spatial relationships in the city, and also highlighting its importance of establishing itself as an integral part of the urban and city system. The workshop shall not only highlight the importance and techniques of sustainable water management resource practices of traditional settlements but also discuss measures for the resurgence of water management systems back into the urban process where it not only performs as an aesthetic and urban model for the city but also acts as a functional and survival tactic in a rapidly urbanising con-dition where increase demand of water is draining out its natural water resources.

Facilitator: Mohan is an Environmental Design & Landscape architecture professional. He is a partner at Integrated De-

sign (INDE), a multi-disciplinary consultancy practice in regional planning, environmental design and landscape architecture. Mohan is actively involved in master planning of existing & new settlements; ecological restora-tion/conservation; impact assessment of natural disasters, management & reconstruction; resource assess-

ment & management; Conservation & site interpretation of world heritage sites.



ECOLOGICAL LANDSCAPING

Using plants indigenous plants in landscaping is a fascinating way of reintegrating nearly extinct species into modern day society. This is a win-win situation it supports the conservation efforts of rare endangered species and creates landscapes for recreation and relaxation.

Facilitator: Paul Blanchflower has over twenty years of experience in forestry and landscaping. He arrived in Auroville

in 1991 from Scotland after graduating in Forestry and Ecology at Edinburgh University. He founded the Auroville Botanical Gardens in 2000 that offers a variety of services for land management and landscaping. He is currently engaged in developing the gardens with emphasis on environmental education for the local school children. His recent projects include a resort landscape for Mahindra Hoildays, anda landscape for the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chennai in addition to other projects in Kashmir, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.



PRODUCTIVE LANDSCAPESUrban gardening & farming increasingly assumes recognition as a means towards food security, recy-cling of liquid and solid bio-wastes, improvement of air quality in cities, urban renovation, and mitigation of negative climate change impact. The workshop will offer presentations highlighting different aspects of urban gardening, functional aspects such as food crop production, stormwater control and thermal control, as well as aesthetic aspects as seen in roof gardens, green roofs and green walls.

Facilitator:Lucas is a doctor trained in medicine at the University of Mainz, Germany. He has over fourteen years ex-

perience in the fields of public hygiene with focus on public health related to environment. He coordinated a Unicef program addressing water management in Tamil Nadu schools and has produced a number of educa-tional materials about sanitation and water management. He founded AuroAnnam, a business unit of Auroville

in 2000 to promote organic farming and ecological sanitation. He is also the founder of Eco-Pro, a business unit specializing in EM (Effective Microorganisms) technology.



TENTATIVE SCHEDULETuesday - 29 April 2015 09:00 - 09:45 Site vist to Matrimandir Gardens 10:00 - 10:30 Introduction to Auroville10:30 - 12:30 Principles of Design and evaluation process of Architecture12:30 - 13:30 Lunch13:30 - 15:30 Participatory Design15:30 - 16:00 Tea Break16:00 - 17:00 Site visit to Visitors’ Centre

Wednesday - 30 April 2015 09:00 - 10:00 Climatology (Solar Passive Design)10:00 - 10:30 Tea Break10:30 - 12:30 Building materials: Introduction to Local Building Materials12:30 - 13:30 Lunch13:30 - 15:30 Building materials: Introduction to Earth Architecture15:30 - 16:00 Tea Break16:00 - 17:00 Site visit to Waste Water Treatment

Thursday - 1 May 2015

09:00 - 12:30 Energy: Introduction sustainable urban energy Solar PV Installations Embodied Energy12:30 – 13:30 Lunch13:30 – 14:30 Site visit to Grid Connected Solar15:00 - 17:00 Waste: Ecological Sanitation Waste Management

Friday - 2 May 2015 09:00 - 12:30 Water: Introduction Surface Water Domestic Water Rain Water Harvesting Decentralized Waste Water Treatment12:30 - 13:30 Lunch13:30 - 15:00 Site visit to Botanical Gardens15:00 - 17:00 Landscaping: Ecological Landscaping

Saturday - 3 May 2015 Optional day only with site visit to structures



BOOKING A PROGRAM

Contact

The cost for the workshop is Rs. 16,500 per person inclusive of lunch, dinner, materials and facilitation for all activities, and all taxes. Accommodation costs are not included. All meals are vegetarian. Alcohol is not permitted in Auroville guest houses.

Registration will be confirmed after receipt of the payment. We cannot refund your payment if you cannot attend for any reason, but you can transfer your registration to another person in writing before 20th April 2015.

Registration will be closed once the limited capacity of 25 participants is filled. If a facilitator is unavail-able, then we will substitute the relevant activity with a similar one.

In case of cancellation of the programme from our side, fees will be refunded within 10 days.

Payment can be made by online account transfer, Demand Draft or Cheque drawn in favour of Auroville Consulting, payable at State Bank of India, Auroville branch.

To pay by cheque/demand draft, please courier your payment along with contact details to our postal address given below.

LAST DATE FOR REGISTRATION: 25th April 2014

Shefali MendonAuroville Green Practices/Auroville Consulting

SaraCon Campus, Kottakarai Plaza, Irumbai Post, Auroville 605111,

Tamil Nadu

Tel: + 0413 2622571 Email: [email protected]



ABOUT AUROVILLE“Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity.”Auroville is an international community with over 2000 people from around 40 different countries. Found-ed in 1968, Auroville is based on the vision of The Mother and is endorsed by UNESCO and the Govern-ment of India as an ongoing experiment in human unity.Aurovillians are constantly experimenting with new ideas and solutions in areas of education, arts & crafts, community building, new economy and sustainability. One of the unique aspects of research in Auroville is the fact that many ideas are put into practice. Over the years, Auroville has won international acclaim for its efforts in social and environmental sustainability.Auroville is located 8km from Pondicherry, 3 hours drive from Chennai city/airport (150km) along the sce-nic East Coast Road (ECR) and 8 hours by an AC sleeper bus from Bangalore (350km).

For more details visit: www.auroville.org

Sustainable Habitats

Environment

Transcript of Sustainable Habitats